Interesting video on Toyota quality.

Wonder how 1st responders would address an electric vehicle crash that is hauling many gallons of flamible liquid.

 

Has anyone considered the frequency of battery pack replacement will be on these EVs?
Cost of the replacement?
What to do with the depleted batteries?

I suspect the environmental impact of the disposed batteries will make the Exxon Valdez look like a minor incident.

 

Great vdeo op thanks.

 

I mean you would probably be dead, and the guy in the plastic modern car would walk home without a scratch, cause ya know.. thats kind of how crumple zones and safety features work these days.

 

Negative on foam and especially Type B foam. That is some bad stuff.

These EVs batteries better be better than the Note 7 battery. We will see if insurance companies start recommending we park the vehicles outside the garage.

But EVs are the future until we master teleporting.


Me in a SoLo

 

The Japanese take a lot of pride in what they do!, and that starts from the design onwards. Why do our trucks made in North America have loose spark plugs, low fluids, uneven gaps, low grade (sourced) plastics, etc...and I'm not talking only Toyota, but all makes...it's hard to admit but it's true.

 

Way back in the day I was heavy into VW's. But with so many breakdowns I got tired. At the same time I'm hearing all these people talk Honda, Toyota so I jumped ship. Never been happier, in fact my visits to the dealership to fix things came a halt, literally!

 

My dad bought a '65 Wagoneer (Rambler V8 powered) and as far as I recall it was terrific.
He then bought one in 1970 (the year AMC bought Jeep from Kaiser, Buick V8 powered) and it was so bad, he quickly sold it.
In 1975, he bought me a new Cherokee Chief as a graduation present, and it was amazing until it began to break... and everything seemed to fail on it... Poor quality products and poor assembly. American Motors fail.
We added a rear tire and jerry can carrier. Here it is nearing San Felipe when I was in Baja watching the 1975 Baja 1000 race with a friend...

I sold the Jeep and bought my first (of three) Subaru 4x4 wagons in 1977... amazing vehicles and no failures in quality... such a difference between Japanese and American quality in the late 70s!

 

2000 & 2001....it's the heads that have issues with poor casting. They are prone to cracking and leaking coolant into the block.

 

So if you keep a car in a climate controlled garage, drive it less than 500 miles a year, religiously change fluids, wash and wax it, and tow it everywhere, it will last forever? Who knew?

That's the point of the comparison - a new Civic Type R is a better vehicle across the board than a 70s muscle car, and it's still an economy vehicle. Comparing a '21 Civic to a '21 Vette makes no sense because you're comparing a modern sedan to a modern GT car.

Sure. Auto manufacturers are intentionally and maliciously designing cars to be less safe than they were 50 years ago.

Yep. All of that energy has to go somewhere. Hit a tree in a modern car with a good safety rating and all of that energy is going to be absorbed around the cabin. Crash something older (or with a lower safety rating) and that energy is going to be transferred TO the cabin and driver/passengers.

Furthermore, where do you think these innovations came from? Ever wondered why an F1 crash sends debris flying everywhere, yet the driver gets out, dusts himself off and runs off the track? Energy transfer away from the driver. Performance technology eventually trickles down to consumer. Manufacturers just spend time figuring out how to make that technology more economical.

 

You responded better that I could. I’m going to take a lesson from you.

 

doubt we will see that day until we get electric powered tractor trailers and fuel delivery trucks. I think we are a way from that being mainstream. Image how big those batteries would need to be and how fast they would need to be able to charge to keep supply chain moving.

 

I don't care where the vehicle is built! However I believe that a good car company stands behind its product and will not argue to get out of fixing a problem on a bogus technicality! Like FCA saying a CP-4 issue that is known may not get fixed because you use dyed fuel. ALL manufacturers own up to your flaws and stop worrying about profit margins so much. Go for the long term customer for example I had a run in with Honda and have never owned another Honda vehicle (car or recreational) since, that cost them 6 new cars and a few other products not purchased by me not to mention word of mouth.
Standing behind your product becomes easier and more cost effective overall if you start with a quality product

 

Agreed. My buddy bought a brand new Ram 1500 three years ago and its literally falling apart. It has been such a nightmare for him. The materials and plastics are garbage and he's had so many electrical issues its unreal.

 

Video at 23:35 Did this guy say that you can special order rav-4's built in Japan? I am so confused, I was 10,000% sure Tacoma World tells you "Toyota doesn't special order, only dealer allocations"

 

I assume that it's the same as "special ordering" a Tacoma stateside - the distributor gets allocated a bunch of different builds, they find the one that most closely (or perfectly) fits your specifications, the dealer works with the distributor or other dealers to obtain that vehicle, then they sell it to you.

Add in the additional step of a 3rd party company that imports that Rav4 from Japan.

It's also totally possible that in Japan, they do allow special orders. I wouldn't necessarily write that off entirely.

 

I wonder if smaller vehicles ever haul around flammable liquid.

 

I suppose. I mean you could haul gas home for your lawn mower in your Tesla.. But I hear if you live in Comiefirnia soon you will only be able to buy electric lawn and garden equipment.

 

You really need to get out more. Go visit classic car shows, ask the drivers about their vehicles. Some drive a thousand+ miles to get to a show, or pleasure. Or just take a drive south of the border all the way down South America and see how many old pickups, 4X4 Jeep Willis and autos you still see driving around. People in these areas don’t throw and dispose of items like we do, they repair everything instead.
But try repairing one of these modern day monstrosities 20 years from now, when a black box or sensor decides to take a chit lol! And yes, I prefer my ’16 over a ’21 any day.

I see you finally got the point. Modern to modern, classic to classic. Classic muscle car ’72 Olds 442 vs ’72 VW bug, get it?


As for safety, sure there have been great improvements. There have better be, else, shame on us. We’re supposed learn, overcome and improve. And out of all that, the biggest are the seat belts and collapsible steering wheel, followed by crumple zones and brake away panels to absorb energy impacts. I would not drive any vehicle without the first two.

As for air bags, they’re nothing more than a money making scam disguised as safety. My neighbor got hit in an intersection, spun around and the bags deployed after the vehicle came to a stop breaking her nose.
I’ve seen my share of instances in our fleet where the driver hit the vehicle in front or got hit in the rear and the bags did not deploy. And I don’t think NASCAR is using them yet, when they do I may change my mind.

As for plastic vehicles being safer than steel, I’ll believe that when I see plastic armor vehicles, air planes and aircraft-carriers made from it. In the end, it’s all about money.

 

Hold on while I check to see if my Tacoma is hauling around flammable liquid in it's gas tank.......